Company director Steven Staples might be a big cheese in the boardroom - but there’s nothing guaranteed to bring you down to earth quicker than being stuck in the lav.

Steven was travelling from London Blackfriars to Orpington in Kent when he decided to spend a penny. So far, so normal.

But when he tried to get out, the door wouldn’t budge. Panic!

Imprisoned in the lavatory and with his pleas for help going unanswered, he sent out a very modern SOS, Tweeting the train operator, along with the rest of the world, from his cubicle.

“I’m stuck in a toilet,” he said. “Just pulling in to Elephant and Castle, please help. Going to Orpington.”

Workers at the rail company then exchanged a series of messages to try to establish his exact location as amused Twitter users began following his plight.

But as they scrambled a team to rescue poor Steven, he was discovered by a young female passenger who was able to free him from his toilet-shaped cell and help bring an end to his misery.

After his 15-minute ordeal ended, the train company replied with a photo of Mel Gibson as Braveheart with ‘Freedom!’ written underneath.

As Steven found out - when nature calls, it can be a desperate dash to locate the nearest toilet.

But thanks to Domestos, those embarrassing conversations may become a thing of the past.

It has launched the Use Our Loos campaign (seen below) – a much-needed initiative that encourages local businesses to open their doors to non-customers and help combat the decline in public toilets.

That means there’s no more shame in admitting you’ve been caught short. In fact, businesses may be expecting you!

But if you’re still hesitant to ask, don't just listen to Steven's horror story - we've got another terrible toilet tale for you below...

Stinker of a date

Student Liam Smyth ended up going on a Tinder date to remember – for all the wrong reasons.

The evening had started so well but things started to go downhill the moment she popped to the toilet in his flat.

She started to panic after realising the loo wouldn’t flush, and ended up throwing her waste outside.

Only it didn’t land in the garden. Due to a design quirk, it ended up in a small gap separated from the outside world by another wall.

According to Liam, while trying to retrieve it, the woman’s background in gymnastics let her down and she got wedged inside the window.

Seeing only one solution, Liam called firefighters to rescue her.

Don't get caught short - look out for the Use Our Loos signs or try the Great British Toilet Map

The Domestos Use Our Loos campaign is helping to unlock loos in businesses such as cafés, bars, restaurants and pubs – and give them back to the communities they serve.

All you have to do is look for the Use Our Loos sign in shop windows. Or visit the Great British Public Toilet Map on your mobile or computer to find your nearest available toilet.

Find out where the nation’s public toilets are located by visiting The Great British Public Toilet Map toiletmap.org.uk - or click on the link below!

Just click on the Great British Toilet Map image below to reveal the map and find your nearest available toilet...

By visiting toiletmap.org.uk on a computer of smartphone, your device will automatically find your location and reveal your nearest available toilets.

Users can also look for loos before leaving their home or office by typing in a postcode to search other areas.

As well as pinpointing the exact location of nearby public toilets, helpful information is featured about each one including whether there’s a charge and if it has an attendant.

There is also a tool which lets users set preferences to highlight any specific needs they might have, such as whether it has disabled access and baby changing facilities, and what the opening hours are.